John V.A. Weaver
| birth_place = Charlotte, North Carolina | death_date = June | death_place = Colorado Springs, Colorado | death_cause = Tuberculosis | nationality = American | other_names = | known_for = | genre = | notableworks = | awards = | spouse = Peggy Wood | alma_mater = | occupation = novelist, poet, screenwriter }} John Van Alstyne Weaver, Jr. (July 17, 1893 - June 15, 1938) was an American poet, novelist, and screenwriter. Life Weaver was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, the son of Anne Randolph (Tate) and John Van Alstyne Weaver, Sr., and raised in Chicago, where his family moved when he was less than a year old. Weaver graduated from Hamilton College in 1914. He then spent two years at Harvard University (where he was a classmate of Eugene O'Neill, before leaving to work at the Chicago Daily News. He joined the army in World War I, serving as a lieutenant. After the war he became literary editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle, from 1920 to 1924.John V.A. Weaver, The Door, Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin. Web, May 20, 2013. His debut collection of poetry, In American (1921), was groundbreaking in its treatment of American dialect and idiom. Weaver attracted notice, including the approbation of H.L. Mencken, for his adaptation of American vernacular to traditional verse rhythms. In American went through 13 printings and established his literary reputation.Richard Walser, Weaver, John Van Allstyne, NCPedia, 1996, State Library of North Carolina. Web, May 20, 2013. During the 1920s Weaver published 4 more books of poetry, 2 novels, and a play. He married American actress Peggy Wood On February 14, 1924. The couple had a son, David. Weaver ceased newspaper work in 1924 to pursue a purely literary career. In 1928 Weaver and Wood moved to Hollywood, where Weaver found work as a screenwriter for Paramount Pictures. Weaver found financial success from successful adaptations of his work on stage and in films and, later, from screenwriting. His screenplays include The Crowd, directed by King Vidor in 1928, and the 1938 David O. Selznick adaptation of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. Weaver died of tuberculosis on June 15, 1938, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Publications Poetry *''In American: Poems. New York: Knopf, 1921. *''Finders: More poems in American. New York: Knopf, 1923. *''More "In American" Poems. New York: Knopf, 1926. *''To Youth. New York: Knopf, 1928. *''Turning Point''. New York & London: Knopf, 1930. *''Trial Balance: A sentimental inventory''. New York: Farrar & Rinehart,1932. *''In American: Collected poems'' (with foreword by H.L. Mencken). New York & London: Knopf, 1939. Plays *"Love 'em and Leave 'em": A comedy in three acts (with George Abbott; adapted from a verse novel by Weaver). New York & London: S. French, 1926. Novels * Margey Wins the Game. New York: Knopf, 1922. *''So That's That''. New York: D. Appleton, 1926. *''Her Knight Comes Riding''. New York: Knopf, 1928. *''Joy-Girl''. 1932. New York: Knopf, 1932. *''Hollywood Nymph''. London: Cassell, 1932. Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.Search results = au:John V.A. Weaver, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, May 21, 2013. See also *List of U.S. poets References External links ;Poems *"Two Ways" *John V.A. Weaver in Poetry: "Northern Lights," "The Sowing," "Drug Store," "Nocturne," "Picture Ahead," "Dilemma" ;Books * *''In American: Collected poems'' at Amazon.com * ;About *Weaver, John Van Alstyne at NCPedia *John V.A. Weaver at The Door, Harry Ransom Center *John V.A. Weaver at Internet Movie Database Category:Articles created via the Article Wizard Category:1893 births Category:1938 deaths Category:20th-century American novelists Category:American men novelists Category:American poets Category:American dramatists and playwrights Category:American screenwriters Category:Hamilton College (New York) alumni Category:20th-century poets Category:English-language poets Category:Poets Category:Dialect poets